Ahead of an expected U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) final rule on revisions to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) food package this month, new polling of 815 WIC participants shows growing concern among participants for USDA’s proposal to cut milk and dairy benefits. Program participants say these cuts would make their shopping for milk and dairy products harder, and nearly half expressed uncertainty about re-enrolling in the program should USDA finalize their proposed cuts to milk and dairy benefits.
The new Morning Consult poll, commissioned by the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), showed a staggering four-in-five WIC participants (79%) are concerned with the USDA proposal, up from three-in-four participants (76%) polled in December 2022. One-third (35%) of respondents said they will need to use non-WIC funds to cover purchases of milk and dairy, and an additional one-third (33%) said the reduction will make their shopping for milk and dairy products harder, according to the poll. Roughly one-third (34%) were unsure if they would re-enroll in the program following the proposed cuts.
Watch the video here.
The national tracking poll was conducted by Morning Consult between March 28-30, 2024, among a sample of 815 WIC household members – defined as adults who participate in the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and/or have an immediate family member who does so. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of WIC household members based on age, gender, race, educational attainment, region, gender by age, and race by educational attainment. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Key results from the poll are below, and the full results of the survey are accessible here.
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- Dairy's popularity among WIC participants
- WIC household concern about proposed cuts to milk and dairy benefits
- WIC household shopping impacts
- WIC enrollment impacts
Four-in-five WIC beneficiaries use their program benefits to purchase dairy products – more than any other grocery category.
Which of the following foods do you or your family purchase through the WIC program? Please select all that apply.
Four-in-five WIC household members express concern regarding the USDA’s proposed cuts to WIC milk and dairy benefits. Nearly half are very concerned.
As you may know, the USDA recently proposed changes that would reduce the WIC benefit for purchasing milk and dairy products. How concerned are you, if at
all, with USDA's recent proposal to reduce the WIC benefit used to purchase milk and dairy products?
One-third of WIC household members would expect cuts to program-eligible dairy products to make grocery shopping more difficult and/or cause them to have to spend non-WIC funds.
If USDA decides to reduce the WIC benefit used to purchase milk and dairy products, which of the following best describes how the proposed reduction would
affect your shopping for milk and dairy products? Please select all that apply.
Nearly half of current WIC recipients surveyed would not re-enroll in the program (or are unsure if they would) if USDA reduces benefits for milk and dairy purchases.
If USDA decides to reduce the WIC benefit used to purchase milk and dairy products, will YOU re-enroll in WIC?
Click here to access topline results and here to access crosstab results from the poll.